Apple Might Ditch The iPad Mini But Amazon Is Still All In, Reveals 4 New Fire Tablets

Thinner, brighter, cheaper, and more colorful. What else do you need?Image: Amazon

While the rumors are swirling in regards to Apple ditching the small form factor tablet that it perfected with the iPad Mini (you won't rip my daughter's out of her hands without losing a finger), Amazon is doubling down, releasing four new versions of its popular Fire tablet - the Fire 7 and Fire HD 8, as well as corresponding Kids Editions.

In addition to four new colors, the Fire 7 got a nice set of hardware upgrades, increasing its speed and improving the clarity of its display. It is now now thinner and lighter, with more battery life (the perennial Achille's heel of small tablets) and will go for up to 8 hours on a charge.

The Fire HD 8 sports the same hardware, but will serve up videos, comics, games, and whatever else you can throw at it for 12 hours. The Fire 7 comes with 8 GB or 16 GB of onboard storage, the Fire HD 8 comes in 16 GB or 32 GB flavors. Both are expandable up to 256 GB (via microSD card). Apple could take a note here - more storage is always preferable. Extra storage is vital to the Fire tablets, however, as one of their main features for Prime members, On Deck, queues up future episodes of your shows (or just first episodes if you're not a Prime member) as well as movies you might like to local storage. While On Deck does make sure it doesn't take over all your memory, if you have more, it can preload more content. Always a good thing. Both tablets are also Alexa-enabled, with the digital assistant available at the press of a button (so don't worry, your "Alexa" request won't trigger even more devices now).

The Fire 7 is still just $49.99, but the Fire HD 8 gets a price drop to $79.99. It's enough of a cut that you have to work hard to make the case for getting the smaller tablet over its larger sibling. Maybe try that new sandwich thing that everyone is talking about instead of going out to lunch this month to scrounge up the extra $30. In the long run, you'll be happier.

Also available in blue and pink (but why would you choose anything but yellow?)Image: Amazon

The Kids Edition tablets come with "kid-proof" cases (aspirational maybe, but they have two-year "no questions asked" replacement warranties to back it up) and access to 55,000 YouTube videos and websites. You can also access Free Time Unlimited, which gives kids access to over 15,000 curated books, educational apps, and games, for free for one year.

There's a premium, however, for a tablet for your children that's physically and virtually protected. The Fire 7 Kids Edition is $99.99, with the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition coming in at $129, maintaining that $30 gap between the different sizes. Again, I think it's worth it to splurge for the extra $30 if you're hesitant. Unless money is the primary metric, or your planned implementation of the Fire tablet requires the 7-inch model, you get a better tablet for not a lot more.

The new tablets are available for purchase now on Amazon (with a release special where, if you purchase any three Fire tablets, you'll get 20% off your order). If you're a fan of the small tablet format, and you're a tried and true Amazon customer, it's a great time to upgrade.

I’ve been writing about technology, gadgets, and pop culture for the past two decades. I’ve seen the rise and fall (and rise again) of Apple. I've watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate…
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